Five of the best: Football adverts

There is nothing quite like the months and weeks leading up to major summer tournament, as nations prepare in earnest to get behind their teams draped in colour and with feverish fervour.

A nation riding high on optimism is one there for the taking as far as official tournament brands and sponsors are concerned, and the pre-competition adverts are sometimes more enthralling than the games themselves.

Nike and Adidas have made an art form of creating exhilarating commercials to whet the proverbial appetites of fans across the globe, using their stars to whip supporters into a frenzy.

The latest offerings prior to Euro 2012 are beginning to filter their way onto TV at the moment and, with this in mind, GMF takes a look at some of the most memorable football adverts...

Ronaldo hits the post

Nike

Brazil travelled to the World Cup in France in 1998 having captured the trophy for the fourth time in the previous tournament in the USA.

Ronaldo was part of the squad in 1994, although he failed to feature, and four years later he was the star of the Selecao side tipped to retain their crown.

The forward took centre stage in this advert, as the Brazil players are forced to relieve their boredom of waiting for a flight to France by running riot in an airport with a ball at their feet.

Never before has airport security been made to look so lax, as Romario and Roberto Carlos take the proverbial, embarrassing staff and exciting fans.

The commercial closes with Ronaldo having to finish off a flowing move by slotting the ball between two makeshift posts. You know what happens next.

Scorpion KO

Nike

The World Cup in 2002 saw the most famous of competitions travel to Asia for the first time, while it also saw Nike surpass themselves with the quality and excitement of their ad.

Scorpion KO pitted teams of three players - comprised of some of the world's best, of course - against each other on a first-goal-wins basis, while locked inside a steel cage.

Eric Cantona oversees proceedings on a vessel somewhere in the ocean, revelling in his position as ringmaster as he struts along the top of the cage with a cane in his hand.

The final encounter pits Thierry Henry, Francesco Totti and Hidetoshi Nakata against Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo, while Henry settles the tie with an inventive header.

David Beckham, a horse and Roberto Carlos' shaved head

Pepsi

David Beckham has starred in almost as many adverts as he has made professional appearances in his career, and the former England captain leads his brooding gang of Manchester United teammates in this western themed offering.

Juan Sebastián Verón did very little during his time at Old Trafford, but plays a menacing hand as United stride into a saloon bar occupied by leather-clad Real Madrid.

Becks and Iker Casillas have a relative ding-dong at the bar, before deciding to settle things outside in front of their baying colleagues.

Instead of using his trusty right boot to embarrass his opposite number, Beckham calls on the services of a horse to finish the job, much to the displeasure of Roberto Carlos.

Ultimate dream team…and Damien Duff

Adidas

Fed up of playing against the rest of their peers on their housing estate, young Jose and his portly chum decide to have a kickabout with the stars of Adidas' roster.

Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Kaka all forget their hectic day-to-day schedules and plod out onto the pitch once their names have been picked, before Jose somehow calls upon the services of 1970s Franz Beckenbauer.

Not to be outdone, Jose's pal opts to bring Michel Platini, complete with glorious perm, before proceedings begin with the likes of Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack also playing their part.

Somehow, Damien Duff also gets a call as the game becomes stretched, before Jose's mum ruins everyone's fun and beckons him in for dinner.

Olé!

Nike

Why Brian Marwood is introducing the action as Brazil prepare to take on Portugal in this commercial is unclear, but his nasally County Durham tones are soon forgotten when Luis Figo performs the first 'Olé'.

The Portuguese does so my nutmegging an unprepared Ronaldo, before Roberto Carlos becomes involved and both teams pursue the ball like a group of eight-year-olds on the playground.

Cue some breathtaking skill from the likes of Denilson and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Ruud van Nistelrooy is called into action while he skulks around the perimeter of the stadium.

Ronaldinho then displays his dazzling array of tricks before the referee has the last laugh - scything down the Brazilian in order to begging proceedings.

Which commercials have you enjoyed the most over the years? Let us know in the comments section below...

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